Recap

So I realize that I've fallen a bit behind with my posts on the blog. With this in mind, I will provide a quick recap of the past weeks, highlighting the parts that stick out and are probably the most entertaining to read about (contrary to popular belief, my life is not always full of thrills and wild stories).

I left off talking about Interlaken three weekends ago. The following day, on Sunday, I woke up in the tent and we headed towards Jungfraujoch, a mountain also known as the "Top of Europe." Along the way, I noticed something peculiar about most of the tourists. So many of them were Indian! After thinking about it for a while, it dawned on me that there is a unique relationship between India and Switzerland. Bollywood (the Indian movie industry) had shot several films in Switzerland, most notably Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, in the very region I was on Sunday. What was amusing was that at the top of the mountain was an Indian restaurant named none other than "Bollywood." Regardless, the view at the top of Jungfraujoch was jaw-dropping, with formidable mountains and glaciers surrounding the mountain itself.

The following week was fairly uneventful, although I did explore Lausanne some more and my work was moving along in the lab. I was able to get some of my first results in the lab, and they were as we hypothesized. My typical evening, even now, consists of coming home from work around 6, resting for some time, going to the gym or jogging to the lake, returning to the apartment and cooking dinner while chatting with friends, and then passing out from what almost always is an exhausting day.

Thursday, July 24th, however, was different. I had been invited to a conference in Bern (the capital of Switzerland) by the organization that had provided me with my travel grant to journey here to Switzerland. Everyone who received the grant was invited to come to the U.S. Embassy in Bern, where we heard several presentations regarding US - Swiss relations and the growing science and technology sector in Switzerland. I met some really accomplished and interesting individuals at this conference. At these presentations, I was surprised to also meet Mrs. Fulbright, the wife of the late Senator who initiated the Fulbright program. Mrs. Fulbright was very knowledgeable and very amiable. I chatted with her throughout a lunch that we had been escorted to, overlooking the city of Bern. Afterwards, we were given a tour of much of the city. Once the tour was over, several of the people in the program and I wandered throughout the city, soaking in the views of the blue-green river, the red-roofed buildings, and the cafes lining the cobblestone streets that I am completely enamored with.

The subsequent weekend was a bit less eventful as the previous one. Saturday was a very relaxing day, in which we wandered throughout the city and then lazily admired the lake and the mountains from a park right on the lake (a spot increasingly becoming a favorite of mine). Sunday we headed to Gruyere, where much of Switzerland's cheese is made. We went to the fairytale Chateau de Gruyere (Castle of Gruyere), beautiful with its maze-like garden, towering turrets, and ornate rooms, surrounded by greenery and mountains. Afterwards, we had a great lunch on a restaurant's terrace overlooking the main street of Gruyere, cobblestoned and medieval.

The following Tuesday was my birthday. I truly had a great time on my birthday. At work, I enjoyed cake and ice cream with everyone that I am working with. In the evening, some of the friends I have made here took me to the lake, where we rented a boat for half an hour and then wandered around on Lake Geneva, stopping briefly to dive into the clean water. Afterwards, we met up with some more friends and enjoyed dinner at the lakefront Creperie d'Ouchy, where I had a delicious Indian Curry crepe followed by a Chocolate crepe. On our way home, we stopped for ice cream and then cut another cake when we arrived back at the apartment. Without a doubt I can say that the people I have met here are incredibly warm and inviting. The fact that they did so much for me on my birthday is just one small example of this.

The only thing I have not talked about is this past weekend, which without a doubt deserves a post on its own.

Before I end, I would just like to reflect a bit on my time here so far. Yesterday marked exactly one month since I have been in Switzerland, and it truly has flown by. I have made really good friends while I have been here, I have seen things that previously I had only imagined I would ever see, and I have learned so much, both consciously and subconsciously. It is not just the work that I have learned from here; rather, I have learned from the people I have met and the experiences that I have had. Often times a person does not immediately understand what certain experiences and people teach him or her. Only afterwards does a realization come. I know for a fact that I have subconsciously learned a great deal about myself and the world in just one month here, and I have already begun to realize that.

At the same time, however, I have recently begun to miss my family and friends back at home. This is the first time that I have traveled with no one that I know. Although Lausanne has become a home away from home for me, it is still somewhat hollow, missing the family and friends from the U.S. Although I am enjoying my time here thoroughly and wish for it to not end, I am also looking forward to being with loved ones back in the U.S.